account

Etymology 1

From Middle English acounte, from Anglo-Norman acunte (“account”), from Old French aconte, from aconter (“to reckon”), from Latin computō (“to sum up”).

noun

1. (accounting) A registry of pecuniary transactions; a written or printed statement of business dealings or debts and credits, and also of other things subjected to a reckoning or review.
2. (banking) A bank account.
   The Pueblo bank has advised that the operator opened an account at that bank with currency, and a few days later withdrew the amount. 1910, Journal of the American Bankers Association Vol. XI, No. 1, American Bankers Association, page 3
3. A statement in general of reasons, causes, grounds, etc., explanatory of some event; a reason of an action to be done.
   Becoming more aware of the progress that scientists have made on behavioral fronts can reduce the risk that other natural scientists will resort to mystical agential accounts when they exceed the limits of their own disciplinary training. 2012-01, Stephen Ledoux, “Behaviorism at 100”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, page 60
   No satisfactory account has been given of these phenomena.
4. A reason, grounds, consideration, motive; a person's sake.
   Don't trouble yourself on my account.
   on no account
   on every account
   on all accounts
5. A record of events; a relation or narrative.
   An account of a battle.
   The study of the main body of Hittite texts was intrusted to the Austrian scholar Hrozny, who in 1915 published a preliminary account of his results[…] 1920, Carl D. Buck, “Hittite an Indo-European Language?”, in Classical Philology, volume 15, number 2, →DOI, page 185
   In a lapidary style, Qiu Dongping clearly and forcefully describes battlefield actions with simple sentences, giving a blow-by-blow account of successive events with neither understatement nor exaggeration. 2000, Yunzhong Shu, chapter 2, in Buglers on the Home Front: The Wartime Practice of the Qiyue School, State University of New York Press, page 58
6. An estimate or estimation; valuation; judgment.
   To stand high in your account 1623, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, act 3, scene 2
7. Importance; worth; value; esteem; judgement.
8. Authorization as a specific registered user in accessing a system.
   In these cases, the agency has to buy through another ad agency that has an account with the media vehicle in question. 2000, Sean Mooney, 5,110 Days in Tokyo and Everything's Hunky-dory, page 66
   For example, to register an account with Hotmail, you should type www.hotmail.com on the Address bar of your browser to go to the Hotmail e-mail service WEB page. 2002, Whizkids Data Creation
   While the buyer might have to create an account with the online payment service, this account is free; the account exists only to facilitate future transactions, since the buyer's address and payment information doesn't have to be re-entered for each new transaction. 2006, Michael Miller, Choosing an Online Payment Service
   Depending on the shipping options you plan to offer to your customers, you'll probably need to open shipping accounts with FedEx, UPS, and perhaps other couriers as well. 2009, Jason Rich, Design and Launch an Online Web Design Business in a Week, page 223
   Of course, to use iCloud on your iPhone, you need to have an iCloud account. 2014, Brad Miser, My iPhone (Covers iOS 8 on iPhone 6/6 Plus, 5S/5C/5, and 4S), page 71
   Meronym: username
   I've opened an account with Wikipedia so that I can contribute and partake in the project.
9. (archaic) A reckoning; computation; calculation; enumeration; a record of some reckoning.
   It seems that this severity weakened his frame, for three years syne come Martinmas he was taken ill with a fever of the bowels, and after a week's sickness he went to his account, where I trust he is accepted. 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide
10. (uncountable) Profit; advantage.
    The young man soon turned his woodworking skills to some account.

Etymology 2

From Old French acounter, accomptere et al., from a- + conter (“to count”)). Compare count.

verb

1. To provide explanation.
   1. (obsolete, transitive) To present an account of; to answer for, to justify.
   2. (intransitive, now rare) To give an account of financial transactions, money received etc.
   3. (transitive) To estimate, consider (something to be as described).
   4. (intransitive) To consider that.
   5. (intransitive) To give a satisfactory evaluation for financial transactions, money received etc.
      An officer must account with or to the treasurer for money received.
   6. (intransitive) To give a satisfactory evaluation for (one's actions, behaviour etc.); to answer for.
      We must account for the use of our opportunities.
   7. (intransitive) To give a satisfactory reason for; to explain.
      Idleness accounts for poverty.
   8. (intransitive) To establish the location for someone.
      After the crash, not all passengers were accounted for.
   9. (intransitive) To cause the death, capture, or destruction of someone or something (+ for).
      Desperately bold at last, the persecuted animals bolted above-ground—the terrier accounted for one, the keeper for another; Rawdon, from flurry and excitement, missed his rat, but on the other hand he half-murdered a ferret. 1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 45, in Vanity Fair
2. To count.
   1. (transitive, now rare) To calculate, work out (especially with periods of time).
   2. (obsolete) To count (up), enumerate.
   3. (obsolete) To recount, relate (a narrative etc.).